This invention relates to label readers and labels therefore, and more particularly to binary coded concentric-ringed labels and scanning label readers for concentric-ringed labels.
With the increasing popularity of large discount department stores having a single point of sale for many various departments and increasingly large inventory monitoring requirements for manufacturing outlets, retail supermarkets, warehouses, etc., the need for apparatus capable of recording each and every item that is sold has become evident. The field of use is not limited, however, and the development of equipment which allows individual placement on a multitude of objects of a specific code which represents price, inventory number, destination, address, routing, flight number, security information, etc., and then reading the particular code, permits the automation of sales data accumulation, the driving of electronic cash registers, the automation of inventory control, and the automatic routing and sorting of packages, boxes, mail, baggage, and all other materials to which a code is secured. Many devices have been developed and tested in an attempt to make inroads into this ever-expanding field, but these systems have various inherent drawbacks preventing their widespread use.
The major disadvantage with most of the label-reading machines known in the prior art is the requirement for orientation or positioning of the label relative to the reader or vice-versa. This orientation requirement makes the use of the label cumbersome while increasing the handling time. As a result, these systems are generally used only in special circumstances. Another common problem is the requirement for relatively expensive labels which are affixed to each item. Most of these labels require either retro-reflective strips or ink, fluorescent ink, or various colors to properly code the label. Furthermore, virtually all of the labels used in the prior art require expensive readers and are not capable of being prepared by truly cheap and portable label imprinters.
In the few systems which are capable of employing inexpensive labels, the cost of using the system becomes prohibitively expensive since sales personnel are required to initiate and/or operate the label-reading device manually in order to provide the desired information. As a result, the prior art label readers and the labels therefor have not been employed in the areas where there is a great need for such equipment, such as inventory control, sales accounting, material handling or shipping systems involving a large number of relatively inexpensive items, such as retail food supermarkets, manufacturing, military warehouses, drug distribution centers, parcel post, etc.